"Regarding the role of Daisy Buchanan, I was privileged to explore the character with some of the world's most talented actresses, each one bringing their own particular interpretation," Luhrmann said on Monday.

"However, specific to this particular production of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her: "Hello, Daisy Buchanan".

Robert Redford played Gatsby, a shady millionaire and Mia Farrow played his character's love interest Buchannan, who Gatsby courted and lost due to their differences in their social statuses, in a 1974 film that was based on a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola.

Mulligan was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 2009 film "An Education" and also starred in films such as "Pride and Prejudice" in 2005 and "Never Let Me Go" in 2010.